Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a setting continuation method and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium encoded with a setting continuation program. More specifically, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that automatically detects the log-out of a user, a setting continuation method performed in the information processing apparatus and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium encoded with a setting continuation program.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a technology for authenticating a user based on authentication information received from a portable device when an information processing apparatus becomes communicable with the portable device carried by the user has been known, and this technology can be applied to an information processing apparatus such as an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral). Because the user is authenticated by the MFP only by being close to the MFP 100 while carrying the portable device, an operation performed by the user for authentication can be simplified.
However, the user sometimes moves away from the MFP temporarily in the middle of an operation of the MFP. For example, it includes the case where the user carries sheets of paper to fill a tray in the MFP from another location or the case where the user forgets to bring a document for copying and returns to a desk to fetch the document. In this case, at a time point at which the MFP can no longer communicate with the portable device carried by the user, the MFP determines that the user is logged out and executes a log-out process. Generally, when executing the log-out process, the MFP changes a setting value, which is set by that time point, to a default value, so that the user must restart settings from the beginning at a time point at which the user logs in again.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-191402 discloses an information processing apparatus including a pseudo-log-out execution means that, in the case where a user requests to log out, cancels a process of log-out and creates a pseudo-log-out state by preventing an user operation and viewing of a screen while maintaining a log-in session, and a log-in request process means that, in the case where the user requests to log in after pseudo-log-out, confirms whether a pseudo-logged-out user matches the user who requests to log in, characterized in that the log-in request process means, in the case where the pseudo-logged-out user and the user who requests to log in are different from each other, requests an OS to execute a log-out process of the pseudo-logged-out user and a log-in process of the user who requests to log in.
However, in the case where another user logs in, the information processing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-191402 executes the log-out process. Thus, in the case where the other user logs in, there is a problem that the setting value is erased. Meanwhile, in the case where the user sets the setting value and then allows the MFP to execute a process, the setting value is no longer necessary. In the case where the user allows the MFP to execute a process and then requests to log out, the unnecessary setting value is kept stored. Thus, there is a problem that a default setting value is not displayed in the case of the next log-in request.